Hopeless Hero

Concerned, Jordan sat beside Allie. He’d worried about me from the time I was a little girl and he and Allie had first started dating. He was a good brother-in-law, and a good husband to my sister. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to ignore my sister entirely and focus only on him.

“Jordan,” I said pointedly, “how’s work going?”

“Oh,” he said. He glanced at Allie, who shook her head and sighed. “It’s really good.” He launched into how wonderful business had been lately. The repair shop he owned was the only one in town, so it wasn’t like he had any competition. Still, it was his pride and joy. He loved that shop almost as much as he loved his family. It was his goal in life to pass it down to his sons when they grew up.

I listened to the rise and fall of Jordan’s voice, not catching every word but happy to listen to him. Despite what Allie thought, I did miss being in Savage. It was nice to see her and Jordan, my cousins, and even Aunt Ira. As much as I hated to admit it, I was even happy to see my parents. There was only one thing keeping me away from Savage, and it had nothing to do with my family.

The door clanged open behind me and I turned around instinctively. I expected to see another relative or family friend walk through the door and grab a pint, but instead my eyes fell on a familiar face.

The exact face I had been picturing just moments before.

Zane walked into the pub, his eyes scanning the room. He looked bigger than the last time I’d seen him. Stronger. His muscles threatened to tear apart his suit coat and his tie seemed too tight around his neck. Still, he looked handsome. More than handsome. My eyes roamed over his body and face, glad that he hadn’t seen me yet. I felt glued to my chair. I wanted to run before he saw me, but I couldn’t. My entire body felt heavy.

“What is he doing here?” I heard a voice ask, but it took me a minute to realized it was mine.

“I don’t know…” Allie said, but her words were lost as Zane’s eyes finally found mine. We stared at each other for a fraction of second before my body suddenly felt light and I jumped to my feet. Without a word, I ran toward the back of the pub and disappeared into the alleyway out back.

I didn’t stop running until I was several streets away, breathing heavily. My heart raced and my forehead dripped with sweat, but I didn’t care. I sat down on a curb and put my head between my knees.

Just breathe. You’re being ridiculous, I told myself.

Why was Zane at Kellan’s? Why would he show up to the wake? Was it to see me, or was it to see…

I sat up and shook my head roughly. I had to pull myself together. When Allie accused me of being scared to live, she was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but I couldn’t ignore it. Ever since Zane broke my heart, I’d been hiding, terrified of everything.

CHAPTER 7

Zane

I walked up to Kellan’s and stopped just before I made it to the door. There were people covering every inch of the patio. Some walked to and from their cars, while others crowded around tables, drinking and talking animatedly. My first thought was that I should turn around and go home.

Screw this, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to fucking do it, I’d told myself.

My stomach felt weak, but I finally took a step forward and pulled open the door. Immediately, I began looking around for her.

Feeling eyes tracking my every move, I knew I should have gotten a beer and found somewhere to sit, but I needed to see her face first. Just once.

Alicia’s Uncle Jimmy was someone I’d only met in passing since I’d moved back to Savage. He’d been a loner, the kind of guy who never married or had children. He would only leave his house to see his family, and even that was an imposition for him. Still, when I found out he had passed, I’d been sad. My heart ached for the whole Joppa family, but mostly for Alicia. She hadn’t seen him in years—that much I knew—but I imagined the funeral had still been hard for her, and I wanted to be there for her.

My eyes continued to roam the room, searching for those curls and bright blue eyes. It wasn’t until I looked to the far corner of the bar that I saw her. She was sitting at a table with her sister and her brother-in-law.

All three of them stared right at me like they’d seen a ghost—and it wasn’t Uncle Jimmy, it was me.

My heart skipped uncomfortably when my eyes met Alicia’s. Her mouth hung slightly open in shock.

In those few seconds, I took in every detail of her face and let myself stare openly at her long dark curls. They cascaded down her back and I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through them. Her cheeks flushed pink and her lips looked exactly like t

hey always did right before I kissed them. After all those years of picturing her, I never imagined she could look even more beautiful.

When I found her eyes again, she was still staring at me with that same uncertain expression. She looked like she wanted to run screaming from the bar, but something held her in her seat. Her eyes locked on mine and she stared at me with an intensity I would recognize anywhere…

It was two months into our relationship. Alicia and I had somehow found our way to the backseat of my car and were making out like our lives depended on it. We never needed much encouragement; as long as we were alone, our bodies were wrapped tightly around each other’s.

As our lips pressed together and our tongues danced gently, my entire body was alive with a fire that I never wanted to put out. Alicia had a way of tempting me like no one else could. Just one look from her and I was putty in her hands.

Alicia pulled away to catch her breath, her eyes finding mine and sparkling with desire.

Fuck.